Waza Japan: Japanese kitchenware

Purveyors of Japanese kitchenware, homeware and hand tools, WAZA Japan offers customers a unique selection of Eastern craftsmanship on local shores.

The company was established by Hilda and Botha Kruger in Cape Town in 2015 as a “specialist importer, retailer, and wholesaler of quality Japanese goods in South Africa,” the Krugers explain.

“The inspiration for WAZA came from our travels to Japan since 2004. We wanted to use this inspiration and create a (s)low consumption shopping experience where the best of Japan and South Africa meet.”

“Our mission at WAZA is to celebrate Japanese craftsmanship. The goods we sell are carefully selected for their design, durability and practical use. WAZA is represented in Tokyo, and with our Japanese colleagues we work directly with Japanese businesses and suppliers to source premium products that can be cherished for years and decades.”

This includes gardening tools such as secateurs, sharpening tools, spiky frogs, floral and wood incense, Kishu binchōtan and wood vinegar. As well as beautiful homeware such as a range of Shinto towels woven on traditional shuttle looms, sleeping mats and Akari light sculptures along with traditional teapots, knives and a selection of foodstuff.

In addition to the select range of products on offer, Waza also offers other services to introduce customers to Japanese culture and tradition, these include: WAZA Travel, which offers travel advice to prospective travellers to Japan, WAZA Tea, a tea-tasting experience at Mochi Mochi Japanese Café and WAZA Events.

“We subscribe to a gentler way of doing business, based on learning, human interaction and personal experiences. We source products which not only have their own story but which create new stories and memories,” says the owners, noting their hope that they can help customers create their own special memories of Japan.